The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-10-22
UNDER A HEDGE.
Why the Real Gypsies Cannot Bear
Living in Houses.

Living IN houses.
If the race of gvpsies is not cele-
brated for cleanliness, it can GER
tainly claim the heal;hful advant-
ages to be gained from life in the
open air. The author of "Our
Gypsies" dwells upon their repug-
nance to the very idea of living in
house. One man, belonging to a
wandering tribe, was heard to say,
with strong emphasis, and appar-
emily with great sincerity: THANK
God that / am not compelled to
live in the filth and foul air of
towns ~ A young girl belonging
to gypsy train was only elaborat-
ing the same feeling when she de-
clared: 81 should pine away and
die indoors, just as a lark would If
you put it in cage. | was born
in a tent, have lived in tent,
and l hope to die in tent. No
one who has a real drop of Romany
blood in him ever yet willingly took
to the life of a house-dweller."
Meeting in London an old um-
brella-mender, who looked as if he
might belong to this race of wan
derers, our author accosted him:
Am / right in supposing you to
be a gypsy
"Oh, yes, sir, you are quite right,
he replied.
81 was born under hedge, and
very nearly the whole of my life
time I've slept under one, excepting
now and then, and especially the
last six weeks, during which I've
slept in house"
IL am glad to hear of it because
| think The change you have made
in your sleeping place is Il step In
the right direction"
You may think So" said the
man, rather superciilously, "out we
differ in our opinions on that point
| like the hedge great deal better
than like the house, aye, that
do, however.
"W bat ate your reasons for what
seems 10 me s strange lseierenceY
Il have two can givo you fol
that" hc said, very enphatically
"Now, sir, listen 20 nae. You see
sir, when you sleep in a house you
don't always know who you sleei
after. and that is what | don't like
at all; but if you sleep under 9
hedge you do know it's clean, and
there is no danger of being teased
out of your life by the company o.
bed fellows which are much toe
lively to be agreeable"
Another Gypsy authority quotes
a discussion held on the same sub
ject by two old women of wander
ing tribe. Both were sun-brunzed
and both wore corral earrings anC
their sunbonneIs were bachsIdc II
front. One was seated in a barrow
the other was squatted on a whisl
of hay bands by the side of a re
cumbent donkey, whose fore leg:
hedged her in. She had utilized
the hanks of the docile creature tC
serve as a dinner table. Bread anC
butter were spread on it, and about
a quarter of a peek of turnip rad
ishes. There was Il bald. shiny patel
on the donkey's hip, set round Will
hair, and this was made to contain
salt. Every time his mistres:
dipped a radish into this extempor
lied saltcellar and proceeded t.
"scrunch" it, there was an expires
sion i'm the animals half-closeC
eyes that betrayed his conscious
ness of her enjoyment and the sat
isfaction it afforded him.
.And how's old Cooper a-doin
since he gave up the wan, and tool
to the house?" asked the woman
in the wheelbarrow.
Hes CROWN wus and wus," re
piled her friend, with grim serve
him-right expression in her bead,
eyes. "He was right enough OF
wheels; why didn't he stay on 'em?
"Ah, to be sure! | know what
should expect would shortly hap
pen to me. if once trusted mysel
between lath and plaster"
"But it ant the laths and it an
the bricks, my DEAR rejoined he
friend. 'It's summit in the moria
which works its way into your els
tern, and that's whatll bunnick ol,
Cooper up, you mark my words.
$50, though the word System
| is not always considered as inter
changeable with "cistern" 1t is evl
dent that the gypsy had an orig
inal theory of diseases.
~ M .h:u ovton'c Eo1co Tocfh